LUPIN THE THIRD Live Action Film Adaptation Looks Criminally Good

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Hollywood’s track record with live action anime adaptations leaves a lot to be desired (Dragonball: Evolution, anyone?), but Japan has had considerably more success capturing the spirits of their animated creations and transferring them to the silver screen. Now, it looks like there’s plenty of reason for anime fans to get excited again, because there’s a brand new trailer for Versus director Kitamura Ryuhei’s live action adaptation of Monkey Punch’s Lupin the Third.

Starring Oguri Shun as the eponymous gentleman thief, Lupin the Third looks like it will offer up the same exuberant, outsized fun, high-stakes heist action, and suspenseful skullduggery of the anime. With a supporting cast including Asano Tadanobu (Inspector Zenigata), Ayano Go (Goemon), Tamayama Tetsuji (Jigen), and Kuroki Meisa (Fujiko Mine), the gang is all here and they’re ready to steal some priceless valuables (“The Heart of Cleopatra”? Sounds expensive) and some hearts along the way. Check out the full trailer below:

Now that is what I’m talkin’ about. Not only is that a brand new theme song (“TRICK ATTACK – Theme of Lupin the Third” by Tomoyasu Hotel), but it’s one of our longest looks yet at the film. The film is scheduled to come out in Japan on August 30, but there’s no word yet on whether it will see a stateside release. Considering Kitamura has released two English-language thrillers, Midnight Meat Train (based on a Clive Barker story) and No One Lives, he does have experience working within the US market. But ultimately will come down to a matter of Lupin’s marketability to a US audience. Here’s hoping that potential theatergoers remember the late-night Cartoon Network reruns…Now, what can we do to get Lupe Fiasco to spit a hot sixteen about Lupin rather than just an off-handed reference in “Touch the Sky”?

Are you on board with the adaptation? What’s your favorite live action anime adaptation? Let us know in the comments below or tell me on Twitter.